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Searching for an exceptional wedding planner? It has to be Lamare London

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Liesl-Lamare-London-Wedding-Planners Wow, 1st of February already. How did that happen? 2017 is going so fast but I hope our newly engaged readers are still in that blissful day-dreamy phase.

When you let your mind wander, what would your guests say about your fantasy wedding? Would they say it was chic, smart, brilliant and SO YOU? Will they be talking about those gorgeous, thoughtful touches that brought the whole occasion together?

Please meet Lamare London. These extraordinary wedding planners specialise in getting just that reaction. They plan and craft weddings in the UK that are brimming with style and personality.

And no matter what the size of your wedding, every event gets the same TLC treatment. For Lamare London, this means ‘Touches of Luxury and Character”. I love that.

Lamare London works on a “luxury is in each detail” principle. And that’s got everything to do with it’s founder Liesl Lamare. 

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About Liesl Lamare

Liesl, who’s been organising weddings and events for ten years, is an unshakeable, detail-led and supremely creative, planner. She’s zeitgeisty and brings this to her work. Her influences include emerging interior design trends, fashion, travel and exhibitions. She’s got taste, folks. Lots of it.

Liesl is also actually a good friend of mine. We met through the industry and have spent loads of time together over the last couple of years. She’s amazing — such a lovely person but also so sophisticated, stylish and graceful. You know those people who just ooze understated glamour and are always well put together?

Unsurprisingly, the weddings she plans with her team at Lamare London are as crisp and gorgeous as the woman herself. 

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Why Use a Wedding Planner?

You could SAVE money, gain control over your wedding and take away a whole lot of stress.

For most, your wedding day will probably be the first major event you’ve organised and it’s one hell of a learning curve if you go it alone.

So what can you expect to gain with a GOOD wedding planner like Lamare London?

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A Rosa Clara bride for a festive Winter Wonderland Jewish-Humanist wedding at The Underglobe, Globe Theatre, London, UK

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Today’s Jew-ish wedding takes the term ‘White Wedding’ to a whole new level! Phoebe & Ben were married in December 2015 and love winter, the festive season, and the way it brings the whole family together, so wanted their wedding to capture that sparkly, wintery, celebratory feeling.

They picked their stunning venue, The Underglobe (the museum beneath Shakespeare’s world-famous Globe Theatre in London) because of their love of theatre, and Wildabout Flowers expertly decorated the space to look like a dramatic Winter Wonderland straight out of Narnia.

Some of my favourite details include Phoebe’s sublime Rosa Clara gown, a colour scheme that included silver, purple and all out sparkles, live cabaret by a Drag Queen in leather shorts and knee high boots, and a first dance to I Can’t Fight This Feeling Anymore (genius!). Then there’s the off-the-scale Abigail Bloom cake, a show-stopping speech by the bride, an unplanned (unrehearsed) rendition of Bohemian Rapsody by the couple’s friends, a hugely meaningful Humanist-Jewish wedding ceremony, movie-themed icebreakers on the tables… Phew, what a wonderful glorious mix!

Come on in and delve into Jew-ish Wedding Narnia… We have the perfectly captured images by Richard Payne and the oh-so-romantic film by Allora Visuals. Take it away gorgeous Phoebe!

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How we met

Phoebe, the bride: Ben and I meet at University, he was on the Kent Falcons American football team, and I was a first year who had just joined the Kent Falconette cheerleading team. We be came friendly on the team tour to Prague, and eventually Ben asked me out.

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Jewish wedding catering: Ideas for kosher-style, or ‘non-offensive’ menus vs. strictly kosher food

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Image: Duncan Nicholls for Alison Price 

Those of you in the know will have no doubt heard of  Liesl Lamare from Lamare London, today’s guest blogger. She has created a brilliant bespoke wedding planning service tailored specifically to reflect luxury brides and grooms, and their vision for their wedding day.

She prides herself on going above and beyond to help her brides and grooms, and today she’s going to do just that for you with her advice and mouth-watering menu ideas for those of you that are choosing a ‘kosher-style’ or “non-offensive’ menu for your wedding, rather than a strictly kosher affair. Take it away Liesl!

Food for thought

It is fair to say that catering often plays a big part at a wedding, and can take up the bulk of your wedding budget too! Catering can contribute to your guests’ experience and enjoyment of your wedding — you can take it from us that well fed guests are happy guests! Critically, when planning a Jewish wedding, you may be considering whether or not you should hire a Kosher caterer.

The importance of having Kosher catering may depend on your family beliefs or the strict dietary requirements of your guests. Equally, you may need to consider whether Kosher catering at your chosen reception venue is even an option.

There are several venues that offer Kosher catering or have a relationship with a preferred Kosher caterer who is familiar with your reception venue’s kitchen. Often, in cases when opting for Kosher catering at your chosen venue, the contract is between the couple and the caterer as opposed to the couple and the venue.

Catering for a Jewish wedding Kosher vs. Kosher-Style or 'non-offensive’ menus
A ‘non-offensive’ menu by Alison Price — see menu 1 below for details on each dish). Imagery by Duncan Nicholls

One of the key Kosher rules is not to mix meat and dairy. Should you choose a Kosher-only venue, there will be a meat kitchen separate to a dairy kitchen. But if your venue doesn’t have a separate catering facility, the caterer will need to go into the kitchen to sterilise it to conform with the regulations of kashrut (Jewish dietary law). Catering staff will also only use food products that have been supervised by a rabbi. Kosher caterers will also need to bring in and use all their own equipment as they are unable to use the equipment at a non-Kosher venue. This includes not being able to use the venue’s dishwashers (!), unless they are for Kosher use only, meaning all the equipment must be washed back at the caterer’s own kitchen or by hand in bowls.

Kosher v Kosher-Style or “non-offensive’ catering

With all these regulations to follow, it may now make sense why hiring in a Kosher caterer can often sky-rocket the price per head to an eye-watering level when planning your Jewish wedding. But we are delighted to let you know that there is a more budget-friendly alternative for the Jewish Bride and Groom – Kosher-Style catering. This is also sometimes called “non-offensive catering”.

Catering for a Jewish wedding Kosher vs. Kosher-Style or 'non-offensive’ menus
A ‘non-offensive’ menu by Kalm Kitchen — see their menu below for details on each dish). Imagery by Kalm Kitchen

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